Pet Vaccinations at Edmonton South Animal Hospital

At Edmonton South Animal Hospital we urge all pet owners to keep their pets’ vaccination schedules current. These pet vaccinations provide an extremely cost effective way to prevent some very virulent and painful diseases from sickening and even killing our beloved pets—or, in some cases, even spreading those diseases to their human family members. Vaccines are a low-risk, high-benefit preventative medicine procedure that only takes a few moments every few months or even years, depending on the vaccine.

Pet Vaccinations in Edmonton: What You Need to Know

First of all, it is important to understand that some vaccines are considered necessary, while some others help only under certain circumstances:

Core pet vaccinations are those deemed essential by veterinary medicine experts to prevent the most contagious and deadly pathogens.

Non-core pet vaccinations may be recommended for some pets that frequently travel, go camping, fishing, visit dog parks or go into boarding. Indoor and outdoor cats may have different vaccination requirements, as would any pets who have special health concerns that affect their immune systems.

Our Edmonton veterinarian Dr. Tan will review your pet’s individual health and lifestyle factors to ensure that your pet receives exactly those vaccinations he or she needs for the best immunity.

Pet Vaccinations for Puppies and Kittens

For the first six to eight weeks after birth, puppies and kittens enjoy some immunity from their mothers, but after this, they are extremely vulnerable to infection unless they are vaccinated. So starting at this age, Dr. Tan strongly urges pet owners to begin their new pets on their initial vaccination schedule. Core vaccines will be administered in stages every three to four weeks, with the final dosage administered between 16-20 weeks.

These immunizations will stimulate your pet’s immune system to generate antibodies against several dangerous and highly-contagious diseases. When (not if) your pets come into contact with these pathogens while out and about, their bodies should then be ready to deactivate the disease before it makes them sick.

Side effects with pet vaccinations are very rare. When they do happen, they are usually mild and manageable, such as soreness and swelling at the injection site, or very rarely, a fever or allergic reaction. Please call us if any of these symptoms occur after a vaccination.

Please schedule an appointment with us today to review your pet’s vaccination schedule and get any boosters necessary: 780.989.5595